Tag Archives: labs

I’m going to the gym and then home. My daughter needs to pick up some pet medicine at the vet, so I’ll drive over there.

My sister will be flying out this weekend with her oldest to visit. Her oldest child is doing a Catholic mission thing in Sacramento. So they are here to visit her and we will meet up Sunday for a visit and then go out for dinner. The turn around is 4 days. Geez, I couldn’t do that, I’d be wiped out.

Anyway, had my labs yesterday and my CMP( comprehensive metabolic panel) is all normal. I’ll probably get the CBC today and then the big tests should come in Thursday or so. We’ll see……waiting anxiously as always.

Honestly, I don’t think it ever goes away, the anxiety. Having been thru the hell of a cancer diagnosis that was really out of blue plus how many people have heard of multiple myeloma? Well, I certainly hadn’t. But time is a wonderful healer and I am much more philosophical about it now. But that’s in part due to being 12 years out from diagnosis.

I’m back home for a few days. I have to get my labs this morning and then the solar eclipse is happening, which I won’t look at.( No really, I don’t have the glasses).

I’m not too nervous about my labs but this is one of the longest spaces I’ve had between tests ( about 7 Weeks), so we’ll see.

Then I’m going to the gym, workout, and then home to get ready to go back up to Zephyr Cove. My daughter and I had a great time together and now B and I will be up there to celebrate our 47 th wedding anniversary. Wow, that certainly makes you feel old. 🙂

Here’s our Lodge pizza night

Then me on the beach early am.

Then the lake.

We had an amazing thunder, hail, rain storm that lasted about 45 minutes. Everything got soaked. We were cozy in the tent trailer but it took some clean up the next morning. The screen shelter we bought for over the table was nice but didn’t really do anything in this kind of rain so we may go buy an EZ up anyway. It would keep the rain off the table. ( I think).

My labs are in and I am so excited, happy and a little delirious. My kappa light chains went DOWN to 13.6 mg/L from 14.2 mg/L so very happy about that. The lambda light chains are at 11.4 so virtually unchanged. The ratio went down to 1.19. Believe me, I am beyond happy. It has been an amazing year for me. I know things will change as life changes but for now, I am celebrating. My doctor just smiles and nods his head since there’s not really a lot to talk about. I was all ready to talk about future treatment plans but hey, another day. so I won’t see him ’till September, labs will be pushed out a little farther than I’ve done, to around 9 weeks. I can handle it…. I can handle it … I can handle it… 🙂

We were out of there really fast and then headed up to Costco. Gee, the parking lot at 10 am was insane. the only thing I could think of is that people were trying to beat the heat. since it was a payday, we splurged on pool shock( a bucket for $65), a new lantern for the tent trailer, some trail hikers for B ( 19.99) and a few other thingsI can’t remember.

Today is cloudy and it was sprinkling this morning as we walked. At the end of this month, we will only have 2 months left till we hit year 5 of walking every day. I’m thinking going into year 5, I probably won’t be as OC about having to walk as I just need to keep walking. I need to for a number of reasons. It feels good to get my blood circulating first thing in the morning but more important, I feel like arthritis is starting to impact me. I’m pretty stiff til I get going but even thru out the day I notice I’m stiffer getting up and moving. Not a good thing, and I may go see my PC doctor and ask if that’s what this is.

So today I went and got my blood tests. It’s been 6 weeks, so we’ll see hoe things are. It’s hard to say in terms of how I feel because I generally feel excellent. My doctor was watching my hematocrit numbers as they were just slightly high. He wanted me to hydrate more but I pointed out that started after I was in cycle 2 of Velcade so???

I had a great introvert day. I did have to call the insurance as they said I had a balance on my last labs. But I’ve never had a co-pay on my labs. so 45 minutes later the nice lady did resolve it for me. Other than that it’s just me and the quiet today. I did my FlyLady zone( the living room) and since there’s not a lot to do there it’s done.

I’m not sure what I’m making for dinner. I have left – over brown rice so maybe that. It’s not exactly what I feel like but then I don’t know what I feel like and that’s always the problem. So I’ll just wing it till it’s closer to dinner time. My daughter doesn’t get home till 7 pm so we’ll see. My husband is in San Diego working so…???

We didn’t eat out even though I wanted to get Tacos. I made chicken soft tacos with brown rice.

I picked up my order of Zaycon whole natural chickens. They’re not organic but are natural, free range, no antibiotics crap. So I have a freezer full. Also,Zaycon is great if you don’t mind having to repack it all when you get home. These whole chickens were pretty easy but when I had got the chicken breasts it took forever and was quite the production. Still, the price is great.

I went to Grocery Outlet yesterday and spent $86.00 on lots of things. Bagels, Bread( cause I’m lazy and didn’t make my own right now), pork shoulder for pulled pork, and other things too. I went in to get dishwasher soap in hopes that the powder would release into the dishwasher properly. It didn’t. So I guess our 20-year dishwasher is on the way out. So that is not going to be frugal since we will need to buy one next week.

Let’s see. Did my gym workouts so it made each workout about .62 cents. If I add one more a week it’ll go down even more. But I’m pretty comfortable with 3-4 x a week.

Dropped 2 loads at Goodwill and the humane Society bookstore. I got receipts because we had a lot last year to add as deductions. It’s kinda a pain to have to write each receipt in, but worth if you do as much as we do. We didn’t include the huge van of samples (food) that my husband gives to the food bank every month. WE don’t even add that in.

Well, I’ still anxiously waiting for my labs to show up. My CBC and CMP looked great. But it’s the light chains and SPEP that are the markers. I e-messaged my doctor to check if they’re in. They should be so, I’m thinking he’s out of the office.

Tonight I’m making a veggie pizza with ranch garlic dressing. I saw it on another bloggers post , pizza.

Today I went to get my blood draw. This is month 6 of being off all drugs. I’m a little anxious but not alot. It is what it is, no matter what. I have been having my kappa light chains go up 1 point a month but sill in the normal range but if the trend continues then there is some activity. I should know by Thursday.

It is so cold here. 28 degrees this morning. I really dislike the cold. It’s going to get up to 51 degrees but that’s not really tropical , is it.?

Today is some small chores and the bedroom zone. One of the benefits of having decluttered and Kon Mari-ed is that it takes little time to do a clean. I change sheets once a week. We have 2 pairs of sheets. One goes on the bed the other in the wash. Then just dust well and tidy the closet. Usually I wash all the windows in whatever zone I’m in but right now we have a clear plastic over the windows to help insulate. They are double pane windows, but this is the north side of the house and is usually colder. Since I Kon Mari the under bed bins and book case there’s not much to do.

Dinner is pasta Monday, so I’m making an fettucine alfredo. The best recipe I’ve ever come across is from one of my favorite books’The Kitchen Counter cooking School’. Basically, it’s heavy cream in a pan. Then you heat up gradually, like maybe 10 minutes. The cream thickens and when you use a spatula thru it , it leaves a a trail.( think of the parting sea of heavy cream) Then add the parmesan and freshly ground black pepper. So easy and amazing. I use to do a bechamel sauce but this is much better.

Plus a salad and a piece of grilled chicken if I’m feeling motivated.

Tomorrow I have my invisalgn appt and the gym. Then Thursday , lunch with a friend and the gym.

Went and got my labs done do now it’s wait till Wednesday to see how the SPEP and light chains are. This is month 5 off drugs (except Acyclovir and Cholestramine).

Next, it’s the kitchen zone and it takes about 2 hours to get thru. I decluttered pantry items and some some things. I’m doing the minimalists game, which is for each day you get rid of that many things. so far I’m ahead with 70 things. Some just tossed and some to go to the thrift store.

I’ve got a few loads of laundry to do including dog blankets.

Dinner is pasta something maybe with brown butter and a spinach salad.

I'm a wife and mom of three young kids - ages 10, 8 and 7 and I just happen to have cancer. Multiple Myeloma is a cancer of the blood that is currently incurable but IS considered highly treatable! My goal is to make people laugh, cry or feel a little less alone whether you are a mom, cancer patient or BOTH!